With Amido Balde apparently on the verge of signing for Celtic his pedigree is being eagerly assessed.
As ever with these matters the trail leads to You Tube and equally predictably every compilation video shows the best of the 22-year-old.
Nine goals last season is hardly headline grabbing form but behind the stats there are other details to be considered.
In 30 league fixtures last season Vitoria Guimaraes scored just 36 goals with Balde accounting for 25% of those goals.
Guimaraes finished the season in ninth place of the 16 team Premeira Liga but that didn’t deter Celtic as they scoured the continent for a goal-scorer with a physical presence.
Celtic haven’t had a physical striker since the departure of John Hartson in 2006 with the options presented by the Welshman and Chris Sutton making a big impression on Neil Lennon.
Balde’s arrival at Glasgow Airport may not look like the way that Celtic do business but the striker certainly ticks the boxes that Neil Lennon has been looking for to give his team an extra edge.
Despite the apparent counter attraction of a relegation battle with Crystal Palace Balde’s UK agent, former Chelsea striker Tommy Langley, sees the obvious attraction of a move to Celtic for his client.
“He’s very, very keen to sign for Celtic,” Langley said. “There are other clubs interested in Amido, but Crystal Palace is now a non-runner.
“At the end of the day he’s here and we’re trying to get the deal done at Celtic – and that’s the first priority.
“He wants to come here because it’s a fantastic football club which plays in the Champions League.
“The Champions League is just massive for footballers these days. It’s a great sounding board for players to come and test themselves and play top class football. Why wouldn’t he want to come here?
“He’s a very happy boy now that he’s in Glasgow and has got a scarf around his neck, but we’ll see where it goes from here. He’s got a couple of things to sort out but he’s very interested in coming here permanently.”
On the day that Balde arrived for talks with Celtic Johnny Russell completed a £750,000 move from Dundee United to Derby County, signing a four year contract.
It’s a trust issue, isn’t it? So many times players we have not really heard of pitch up as an unknown quantity and they turn out to be diamonds. It’s not happened every time but it’s the players I have heard of that come and fail to impress. Celtic’s scouting, for the most part, has been outstanding. I think we sell the club to the younger players as a good launch pad to their career, playing in front of large crowds, a crack at the Champions League and a fair chance of silverware and ALL of that gets you in the shop window.
We sell the player on for profit, bring the next one in, QED. It’s a slow but sure way of improving our team year in, year out… long may it continue.
Bit gutted at losing out to johnny Russell today and this lad may not sign at all I’m hoping it doesn’t come back to bite Neil lennons backside Russell for me would have been a great signing another talented Scottish player lost to an English championship club
Although on the whole our scouting has been first class when it comes to forwards it’s been less than impressive. Murphy, Bangura, Miku and Lassad spring readily to mind. Russell, at the money talked about and the fact we know he can score goals in the SPL would have been a less risky transfer.
Seems to have a knack of scoring late in games.
not impressed by the highlight videos. i just hope i’m wrong and he turns out better than he looks in these.
Lennon has been desperate to add an ariel threat to the team, no doubt encouraged by the goals samaras and wanyama scored in the champions league being a gauge for how potent it can be. Lassad and miku did not add that threat… So Balde has obviously been rigorously scouted as the man to add this key attribute
I find it hard to understand, why Celtic,who have already made a puny£500,000 bid for Johnny Russell,one of the premier league,s outstanding Young players,were seemingly now uninterested in trying to bring this undoubted talent to Celtic park,I feel quite let down even after apparently signing an unknown striker, I can only wish all the best to our new striker IF he signs,but still feel frustrated at missing an opportunity to sign Russell for next to buttons,in todays market! Maybe there,s a reason for the apparent lack of interest from any more prominent clubs! Maybe!
Lets leave it too Celtic to pick the guys they want to sign. Yes one or two have not come up to Celtic class but on the whole I think we have done well. Lets give the lad a chance and then we will see(But as yet he has not signed!!)
Totally gutted about Russell…don’t understand it…
Someone told me he’s a Sevco fan and didn’t want to sign for us….
I don’t really care about that…that’s his choice…..
But I hope we find out why…..
Could be another McCarthy or Pettigrew disaster…
As for Balde…??
We’ve been let down badly by strikers we’ve signed recently…
I’ll bide my time with this one.
Celtic chose not to sign Russell and there’s a reason for that keep the faith if this goes wrong there’s only one person that the blame will fall and that’s our boss KTF HH
A goal every 3 games for a 21-22 playing for a weaker team in the Portuguese league – sounds pretty good to me!
Cash issue’s means we got a very highly rated youngster on the cheap.
At 6ft 4 he will bring another dimension to our forward lineup – something Russell would never of gave us, plus we already have better than Russell waiting to get the nod!
HH Welcome to Paradise Balde 1NL
the lad turn out to be a gem
1NL
Russell?
Tony Watt is better.
That is why we didn’t sign him.
Could be the next van Hooijdonk, or could be a big donkey .. Only time will tell … Seemingly a bit rough around the edges, but young enough to be coached and turned into a world class talent like big Victor …
Fingers crossed!
This big lad will bag goals in the SPL, if we are lucky enough to get into the champions league group stages, surely his confidence will have grown & the gaffer will make him have a go at any defence we are grouped with…..lets get behind the team for another successful CL Campaign
Glad that we did not sign Russell Celtic need to get a player with Europe class who has played in the ECWC
good player and young aswell HH lenny and the scouting team